writing on the wall

http://churchsigngenerator.com/

fwr wordle

http://www.wordle.net/

oh yeah… that’s right

I’m still in the early hours of GTA IV: The Lost and Damned. There are noticeable problems, and the “biker gang” mechanic feels a little bit like a concept cooked up early on that never really works out properly in actual execution — the driving is too erratic for the gang to ride in a coherent formation. Despite these issues, it’s still Grand Theft Auto, and it’s still amazing.

I was reminded why I love the series when, after a shootout with the police, I was one bullet away from death and yet managed to scale walls, run through industrial yards, and eventually escape by hiding under a bridge. I’m back, Liberty City.

metal slug stash

I pulled down my copy of the Metal Slug Anthology for PSP today after listening to the 02/12/09 Retronauts podcast. I agree with the hosts that the loading times are ridiculous, but it’s still a great game. I NEVER played any of these games before I picked up this anthology a year or so ago, and I would recommend any fan of the Contra series try it. I am terribly glad that Retronauts survived the 1UP sale. I don’t know what I would do without my retro gaming news. As a side note, IGN’s Retrocity takes a different but also enjoyable regular look at retro games. If anyone knows of good retro games podcasts, I am always looking for more.

sonic’s genesis mafia

I stayed up last night playing Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, which is available for PS3 and XBox 360 (I got the PS3 version for the better d-pad). I don’t understand everyone whining about the 16:9 mode and the “smoothing” effect you can optionally layer over the games. I would rather an old game do a little bit to tidy itself up before stepping brazenly into the 21st century. Why are retro gamers so angry about everything? Play it on your still-functional Genesis if it’s really such a problem, jerk.

*whew*

Just finished a longer post on the connective potential of Flower at FWR. There is still so much to talk about with this game. I will probably have to play it once or twice more and write up another post or two. The narrative, specifically, seems like it needs more exploration.

flowering enthusiasm

I “finished” Flower already. I’m not feeling well and haven’t really left the couch all day, so I decided to just go ahead and barrel through it, definitely an impulse that is encouraged by the game design. I am pretty sure that this will be one of my all-time favorite games. A perfect game for players with and without game literacy skills, and one that conveys a powerful narrative relying only on the interactive environment — no text or dialogue at all. I will be writing up a longer post on this for FWR, so keep an eye out for that.

a victory garden of gaming ideas

I just downloaded Flower from the PSN and it does look as amazing as the journalists have been saying for the past few months. $10 gets you another of ThatGameCompany’s products that will challenge how you think of games in general. Their last project, Flow, was a good attempt but ultimately a little disappointing in its execution. I think Flower might fill in the gaps left by that game.